Many individuals in our community face significant challenges in accessing the food they need. Barriers like limited transportation, pantries with varying hours of operation, and the stigma often associated with seeking assistance prevent neighbors from getting the support and proper nutrition they deserve.
Through partnerships with local organizations, the Mindful Meals program provides additional food pickup options at locations that many of our neighbors in need are already visiting in their daily lives. This program makes it possible to serve more families, with dignity, while ensuring they receive the nutritious food they need to thrive.
Through an online ordering platform called OrderAhead, food recipients are given 100% choice in selecting items that will make well-balanced, nutritious meals. By utilizing this platform, our friends and neighbors can place their orders from anywhere they are comfortable. No more waiting in line for a predetermined handout in public. Food is packed by Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin staff and volunteers, and is made available for pickup at partnering locations in a discreet manner. The days of predetermined, prepackaged food boxes are over.
Serving up choice and dignity – we’re putting convenience back on the menu with Mindful Meals.
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin has successfully leveraged innovative smart lockers that are fully integrated with the OrderAhead system. These temperature-controlled modular lockers can be placed anywhere, providing secure, private food pickups 24/7, reducing the need for additional infrastructure and staffing. Orders are placed online via OrderAhead, packed by Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin staff and volunteers, and delivered to the smart lockers for convenient pickup. These smart lockers not only prioritize the health and well-being of our neighbors in need but also safeguard their dignity and privacy.
To learn more about Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s smart locker partnership with Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, click HERE.
How Your Organization Can Help: By hosting a Mindful Meals pickup location, your organization will become a vital part of the solution to food insecurity. You’ll help eliminate barriers for neighbors in need by offering a discreet and convenient way for them to access food. As a trusted partner, you’ll join a network of community-focused organizations dedicated to fostering dignity and accessibility for all.
Mindful Meals is designed to integrate seamlessly with your operations. The workload for your staff is minimal, as Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin staff and volunteers pack and deliver all orders directly to your location. You decide how the pickup is structured, whether it’s staffed by your team, or entirely self-service through our innovative smart lockers.
What makes the perfect Mindful Meals location? An ideal location is accessible and easy to locate, discreet, and naturally integrated into the community like schools, community centers, libraries, and healthcare clinics.
Feeding the appetite for accessibility. Help us continue to unlock solutions to food access.
Together, we can eliminate the barriers to food access and create a community where every neighbor can thrive with dignity. By supporting the Mindful Meals program in any capacity, you are not just helping to provide meals; you are offering hope to those facing the harsh realities of food insecurity. You are helping to create communities where no child goes to bed hungry, no parent must choose between paying for groceries or paying their bills, and where everyone has a safe place to turn in their most vulnerable moments.
